Estère shares lush, beat-forward
summer banger EP
Mākara Peak
Mākara Peak by Estère
drops on Friday 2 December
Listen to Mākara Peak!
Named after the statuesque hilltop outside of Estère’s studio window, Mākara Peak is a self-produced EP that combines beat-pop, RnB and ASMR, creating an upbeat hypnotic dancefloor tracklist. Citing Burna Boy, Lido Pimienta, Doja Cat and Lous and the Yakuza as some of the main inspirations for the EP, Mākara Peak explores Estère’s love of dance-rhythm and her sonic identity rooted in her Cameroonian/Kiwi ancestry.
Produced at home during lockdown in a humble study-cum-studio she fondly dubs ‘Le Petit’, Estère says “I just wanted to create something unapologetic and honest, that represents where I’m currently at as a human and artist - I never want to feel pressure to stick to who I once was or what I’ve done before.”
Mākara Peak features beat-forward "BPM" (released 7 Oct) and funky millennial lament "Oh Well" (released 3 Nov), and introduces two new gems, "Conversation With Daddy" and "Melt".
Conversation With Daddy playfully questions material greed and wealth, and started with a chat on the phone between Estère and her father. “My dad will often go into these impassioned dialogues about whatever he’s thinking and I really like the percussive element of his speaking style. His voice over the phone is really alive,” says Estère. “Conversation With Daddy” explores both Estère’s relationship with her upbringing and the pitfalls of capitalist society.
Melt is a beat-driven track which honours long and enduring love, and was largely composed while on holiday in Rarotonga earlier in 2022. “I think you can hear the summer vibes in it, it’s peppy and sexy with a hint of sadness - it’s for the long-time lovers and especially for the person I’ve been loving for a long time,” says Estère.
Mākara Peak is slated for release on Friday 2 December on Blue Riot Records, through all streaming platforms.
For interview requests contact:
Xan Hamilton
xan@susiesays.co.nz | 0275101134
SINGLES
Estère - "BPM"
released Friday 7 October, 2022
Listen to/watch "BPM"
Estère's single "BPM" is an aural masterclass in found sound production, the first release off Estère's Mākara Peak EP. BPM's foray into rhythm and texture incorporates lyrics that are playful yet poignant, capturing the wanderlüst and sentiments of a musician/producer/performer stuck inside during various lockdown stages in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Estère says, “BPM is all about liberation and freedom of movement, in clubs where people are sweating, dancing and feeling free with each other - that’s what I was channeling when I wrote it.”
BPM was born of a sampling exercise in which Estère recorded the sounds of assembling and smoking a hookah pipe (watch here). Laced with ASMR (autonomous sensory meridian response) and mukbang (performance eating) samples, BPM is an alluring and sexy song celebrating the feeling of liberation through dance and movement of the body.Whatever it is, the way you tell your story online can make all the difference.
Estère - "Oh Well"
released Thursday 3 November, 2022
Listen to/watch "Oh Well"
Estère’s track "Oh Well” is a funky millennial lament about the current state of the world. Inspired by early 2000’s Hip-Hop and RnB production - as are many of Estère’s songs - it flits between existential conundrums and tongue-in-cheek lyrics.
Estère says, "I wrote "Oh Well" during a lockdown. I'd grappled with a string of disappointments due to cancellations and the general feeling of being trapped at that time. I was thinking about how there are so many things we learn to be ambivalent about as a generation and a society - If we truly took everything on, we would mentally and spiritually implode from the pressure. But where's the line? Am I too apathetic? Do I care enough about things? Those are the questions I was asking myself when I wrote 'Oh Well'."
If pop were an urban centre, "Oh Well" would sit comfortably on its inspired outskirts, combining underground elements of RnB, cafe culture, a modicum of romance language and a dance-floor rhythmic groove.